Sevier County Salvation Army financial assistance.

A faith based charity in Sevier County is the non-profit Salvation Army. The organization does it best to help the disadvantaged make it through a crisis by providing short term financial support while also assisting with long term challenges. The services available can range from free food from a pantry to one time, emergency financial assistance for certain living expenses. The goal is to help meet basic needs of low income families while helping them get into place where they are no longer needing entitlements.

Emergency assistance may be provided, though resources are limited. Using mostly donations from the public, including the Red Kettle campaign, the charity may have some or all of the following.

Housing – This may be funds for paying rent to stop homelessness, or a partial payment on a heating bill for a family faced with a crisis.

Vouchers – They may be available for clothing or medications.

Transportation – The Salvation Army volunteers may be able to provide a ride in Sevier County, or in some cases assistance for car repairs or referrals are available.

Short term housing, ranging from shelter to transitional units, are available in Sevier County. There may be centers for women, children, veterans, and the like, and each guest is given a meal along with a place to stay. It can help the homeless get off the street.

A case manager from a Family Resource Center will coordinate counseling services for clients as well, which are provided in each shelter with the goal of long term, permanent housing stability. This will help people in the Sevierville area get back on their feet.

The transitional housing will allow individuals and families time to gain stability. They may have a place to stay while enhancing necessary financial stability and skills that are are acquired to become self-sufficient over the long term. Individuals who use these transitional housing programs will experience intensive case management, and this will enable them to set goals in moving towards permanent housing through counseling and education.

Workshops in Sevier County incorporate life skills training. This will always be an ongoing part of the Salvation Army programs. Staff will help with self-esteem classes, GED completion, computer skills, anger management, budgeting, coping skills, and the long term goal is job placement. In many cases, clients of these various workshops will be provided child care as well, if this can help them attend sessions on a regular basis.

Salvation Army social services are when the charity invests in its clients. This incorporates everything from short term needs (such as the financial aid referenced above) to an ongoing continuum of services to the individuals served.

In addition to all of the resources indicated above, other programs from the Sevier County Salvation Army can include the following. There is support for the homeless, including domestic violence shelters for women. Other programs include affordable day care and after school programs, summer camps, elderly residential centers, referrals to medical and dental clinics, probation counseling, tutoring, and even drug treatment centers

A free food pantry in the city of Sevierville holds regular distributions of groceries for the working poor and other marginalized individuals. The Salvation Army may allow families to use the centers on a monthly basis, and the assistance is also for senior citizens and really anyone that needs a meal. The boxes of groceries or free food sustains health and nutrition to those who could not otherwise afford it.

Special holiday meal and gift programs are held too. The Salvation Army and its volunteers both collect gifts and food from the public, and then provide them to low income families. Children may get free toys or clothing from Angel Tree, and the entire family may receive a free Thanksgiving or Christmas meal at the appropriate time. So the resources are extensive.

Case managers may have referrals to Developmental Group Programs. These are focused on children, adults, adolescents and older adults that need guidance and compassion. The classes are often provided on a weekly or even daily basis to sustain long term social development for persons who would not have access to such guidance without the support of the Salvation Army centers or its partners.

More more information on resources, even including local clothing banks or thrift stores, call the Salvation Army or stop in at a center below. The office is 127 Bruce St., Sevierville, TN. Call (865) 428-6723.